Jewel to sing lullabies

Wednesday

Feb 11, 2009 at 6:51 AMFeb 11, 2009 at 6:52 AM

MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Departing from trends in favor of experimenting musically is nothing new for singer-songwriter Jewel.

Her debut album, 1995's "Pieces Of You," was a folk record that came out at the height of grunge and went 12 times platinum on the strength of such hits as "Foolish Games," "You Were Meant For Me" and "Who Will Save Your Soul."

Her third album, 2001's "This Way," was a straight-ahead rock record at the height of pop music. That release went platinum and included the Adult Top 40 smash "Standing Still" and the dance hit "Serve The Ego."

So now, after releasing her No. 1-charting country debut, "Perfectly Clear," last June and wowing fans as the main support act on Brad Paisley's summer tour, the 34-year-old artist is gearing up for the release of an album of lullabies. It's due out later this year and will include all original material, Jewel said in a recent interview before kicking off her solo tour.

"It's soothing and dreamy to help put kids to sleep, but it's for adults to enjoy," Jewel said.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your solo tours, as opposed to your full-band tours?

A: "I really enjoy solo acoustic tours because it allows me to do something unstructured. Being with a band on tour, like with Brad Paisley, was a lot of fun because it's fun to play big venues and rock out. But I really enjoy these intimate settings where it's just me and my fans.

"I have a great relationship with my fans. I'm really lucky that they know probably almost all the 500 of my songs. And they request obscure material. I don't ever write a set list. Every show's just different and I just make it up as I go, reading the crowd. It's a lot of fun."

Q: You mentioned that your forthcoming lullabies CD will be geared toward both children and adults. How does that work?

A: "They're just very pretty and sung very softly and sort of in my falsetto voice. So it should just be lolling and soothing. But the lyrics are smart interesting for adults. If you don't have kids, I made it for adults who just want to have a certain mood record to put on - take a bath or drink a cup of tea or have a glass of wine at night and just chill."

Q: You married your longtime boyfriend, rodeo star Ty Murray, on Aug. 7, 2008, in the Bahamas. What can you tell me about the wedding?

A: "It was just private. We eloped. We had about three months to plan it and it was nice to get away. For people who are so busy and are working so hard, it was nice to have something simple that was just he and I and not having to worry about a hundred guests and make it into a job."